Ruh roh

[officerchick]

I guess now I find out if my company's as good as I've thought about backing us up, or whether they'll throw me under the bus instead.

(background: I'm in a multi-tenant corporate building)

Tenant reports today that a co-worker's Bluetooth was stolen yesterday. Then says it was delivered Tuesday at 1303, and placed on the complainant's desk ~ 1345, and reported missing this morning. It was unmarked in an envelope, but left on top of the desk.
Reporter returns later for the management phone number, which I give him. He says he's told this guy not to leave things on his desk, but that's not good enough for him and he wants management to come to the office and talk to him.

Fast forward to about an hour ago:
Complainant comes to the console and asks for the management number. He tells me that his Bluetooth was taken from his personal office, on his desk. He then goes on to tell me that three items have been stolen from his personal office in about 6 months, and that a laptop was taken from a coworker recently. I give him the number for management and tell him I'm sorry that this has happened, but that I have not had any reports other than the one made today. He then calls management and harasses them for about thirty minutes in the lobby. He insists that this can't keep happening and somebody has to pay for it.

When he leaves, I call management to ask how to proceed. They tell me to just hang on for now, that the head property manager may call the branch manager of my company to come talk to this guy.

So now I'm second guessing myself, not because I really think I did something wrong, but because I don't know what the branch manager will say.

In case it got buried in the ramblings, these other alleged thefts were never reported until today. As I told him, I can't do anything if I don't know about it. I hope the branch manager presents it as such.

[NRM_Oz]

Sounds to me like somethnig smells OC and it's not the garbage bin either. I don't know about you - but if my notebook PC went missing, I would be down at the desk ranting and raving for hours. There should be a police report done (we have a non-urgent police line for such items) which would ensure that the matter was reported when it happened.

I had an employee claim his mobile phone charger was destroyed and when I priced them found out they were $120 US as they were a special connection like a PDA fitting. He put a claim in for it and I found out 2 months after he left when a work friend from another store told me the charger was broken and he wanted a new one so scammed the company for it.

[Badge714]

I wouldn't sweat it too much. I'm sure your Branch Manager gets stuff like this all the time, I know I do. Some people think we should be everywhere all the time and pounce on every thief, which doesn't happen very often.
And then there are those who immediately blame every theft of the cleaning staff or security since they have access after hours.
As long as you didn't do anything wrong, don't worry about it!

[N. A. Corbier]

If you're at a console, in the lobby, then how are you supposed to protect anything in the tenant offices? Your job sounds like its access control. Even if you do hourly tours, do your hourly tours take you by this guy's desk?

Even if the answer is yes, and you notice the package missing, how are you to know it wasn't taken by someone authorized to? The package could be company property, and someone higher than the recipient may of claimed it, or taken it to be activated/setup by IT.

I have never understood why companies believe that a concierge/guard in the lobby is responsible for the physical security of things on people's desk. The only way they could be is if you employed robots that do not steal, then use the guard at the desk to screen non-employee humans.

[J_Stokes]

Hopefully your manager backs you up to the max. It's almost assured that when someone fails to protect their personal property (laptops,cellphones,expensive pens, petty cash) and the items go missing, Security gets to play scapegoat & gets blamed for all things missing weather reported or not. You are not there to babysit every individuals personal items,nor are you required to have ESP allowing you to know when things disappear especially when they go unreported. Doesn't sound like this problem should fall into your lap. Like I said earlier I really hope your manager backs you up totally. J.

[Hank1]

If you're at a console, in the lobby, then how are you supposed to protect anything in the tenant offices? Your job sounds like its access control. Even if you do hourly tours, do your hourly tours take you by this guy's desk?

Even if the answer is yes, and you notice the package missing, how are you to know it wasn't taken by someone authorized to? The package could be company property, and someone higher than the recipient may of claimed it, or taken it to be activated/setup by IT.

I have never understood why companies believe that a concierge/guard in the lobby is responsible for the physical security of things on people's desk. The only way they could be is if you employed robots that do not steal, then use the guard at the desk to screen non-employee humans.

Nathan is right on the money. You are at a access control point, there is no way you can be held responsible/accountable for items in employee offices.

[officerchick]

I think I smell an inside job...

Same company, different employee. He had a high-end cell phone stolen from his desk. As in, it was on his desk, for at least two weeks, according to him. Of course, he says he's the only one with a key to his office. Except the two other guys who might have one. Can't get a straight timeline from the employees. Some say the thefts started a year ago, some say only about 3-4 months ago. Some say it started when the cleaning service changed - it hasn't in the year I've been here. Manager of course says it's janitorial or cleaning crew. I suppose I have to consider that it could be my officer. It seems unlikely, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been less than right. Of course, there's no cameras anywhere useful for this.

On the previous case, Branch Mgr actually thought the guy's making it up. Who has high-end products go missing and doesn't report them for days, much less months?

Ah, well. I've observed what's there to be observed and reported it as necessary, so I guess my job here is done

[NRM_Oz]

Well without stating the obvious, security and cleaning are the biggest groups to be thieves (ok I will put it all back) except for management who have free access to more than most people would have you believe.

I had this happen with bag snatchers. We did what we could and we had a uniform walk around and I made sure to tell customers to mind their bags and belongings ............. but when it hits the fan - they are going to blame the company for it and in turn we are blamed for it. Risk Mitigation and strategic planning is all fine and dandy - but if this has happeend before I would consider running bi-locks with only 2 keys for the tenants office or something similar.

[CameraMan]

Cameras, cameras everywhere! Then they can hire four or five SOs to sift through all the video data.

I also like Corbier's idea.

In all seriousness, though, if it was never reported, what can you do? Reminds me of the times when I was doing troubleshooting, and people would call me to say that they had a robbery but were having trouble watching the video. Turns out the DVR hadn't been recording for a few months. I can't tell you how many times that has happened.

People would get mad at me, and I'd say "In all the time it hasn't been recording, you never checked it once? And if you were aware of a problem, why didn't you alert me so I could do something about it?"

[kingsman]

Hey! Its all relative.

I walk thru the facility on a nightly basis and see items that are right there for the taking, from $3000 dollar cameras to $2500 armored laptops. The offices are just cubicles, and the labs are mostly open to anyone.

We have over 50 cameras, but none are in offices and very few are in labs.
I suppose we could stop every employee walking out the door with a laptop and ask them to prove it was there computer, but that would mean stopping nearly everybody.

[NRM_Oz]

Off topic a bit - it amazes me how people can guard their chairs and pens yet will leave unsecured items like that and then cry when someone goes missing ?

When a college PC walked out the door I suggested we cable them - about $5.00 each and was told to do it then. I worked with the IT staff and we did the 220 odd pc's in the office areas and when we had another break in which resulted in NOTHING going missing except minor items, the police put it down to these cheap cables. If it is work related people are upset if it goes missing. If it is personal then people are furious and want to rip the walls down ........ so it should be equal care shown at all times.

[SecTrainer]

You'd think by now that computers - even laptops - could protect themselves. You know - screaming "Help! Help!" when picked up by unauthorized persons. Or, better yet, Tasing the thief. Now that is something I'd love to see. Scumball writhing on the ground while the computer sits there chuckling to itself as it sends another pulse down the wires.